Time for a Trump 'Purge?'

President Donald Trump posted a prayer to social media on Sunday, asking Saint Michael for help battling "the wickedness and snares of the Devil" — just days ahead of his return to Butler, Pennsylvania, where in July a Democratic donor shot him and killed the heroic patriarch of the Comperatore family. The prayer and accompanying image of Saint Michael vanquishing Satan, reposted by the Trump campaign, were largely well received. Michael is recognized as an archangel in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, and the prayer simply asks for help routing evil. However, a number of leftists reflexively expressed shock and horror, in some cases showcasing cultural and historical ignorance — just as Ana Navarro of "The View" did when responding to Trump's happy birthday wishes to the Virgin Mary on the feast of her nativity earlier this month. Former Clinton Labor Secretary and Harris booster Robert Reich led the pack in ignoring or at the very least overlooking the fact that the post coincided with Michaelmas, the feast day of the archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, which is celebrated by Catholics — of which there are nearly 1.4 billion worldwide and at least 52 million stateside, including Trump's wife, Melania — as well as by Lutherans and Anglicans. 'By the power of God, cast into hell Satan.' "Trump increasingly suggests that he is God's chosen instrument of wrath and that his opponents are 'evil spirits' to be 'cast into hell,'" tweeted Reich, whose fellow Democrats helped set the stage for two known assassination attempts with incendiary rhetoric. "If you don't find this terrifying, you're not paying attention." Reich, now a public policy professor at the University of California, Berkeley, apparently found this prayer terrifying: Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen. The prayer was written by Pope Leo XIII following an Oct. 13, 1884, vision of demonic attacks on the church from within — and of the archangel tossing the offending demons back into the abyss. It was long recited after Mass, though that obligation ended in 1965. However, when discussing preparations for spiritual battle 13 years after he was wounded in an assassination attempt, Pope John Paul II said, "Even though today this prayer is no longer recited at the end of the Eucharistic celebration, I invite everyone not to forget it, but to recite it to obtain help in the battle against the forces of darkness and against the spirit of this world." According to the Diocese of Gary, Indiana, Pope Pius XI ordered the recitation of the prayer in 1929 for the conversion of Russia. 'But the sword / Of Michael from the Armorie of God / Was giv'n him temperd so, that neither keen / Nor solid might resist that edge.' Saint Michael is one of the three angels mentioned by name in the scriptures and is regarded by multiple Christian denominations as the patron saint of the police, firemen, and members of the military. Michael is also the patron saint of numerous countries and cities, including Kyiv, Ukraine. EWTN indicated that Michael is referred to in two chapters of the Old Testament (in Daniel 10:13, 21 and 12:1) and in at least two books of the New Testament (Jude 1:9 and Revelation 12:7). Revelation 12:7-9 states: And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. The prayer Reich found terrifying not only has religious significance but engages a key character in the Western literary canon. In Book Six of John Milton's "Paradise Lost," Saint Michael introduces the proud and rebellious Lucifer to something called pain: But the sword Of Michael from the Armorie of God Was giv'n him temperd so, that neither keen Nor solid might resist that edge: it met The sword of Satan with steep force to smite Descending, and in half cut sheere, nor staid, But with swift wheele reverse, deep entring shar'd All his right side; then Satan first knew pain. Robert Reich's concern-mongering post was not only slapped with a community note on X, highlighting some of this context, but ridiculed. 'You're totally delusional Robert.' Auron MacIntyre, podcast host and columnist at Blaze Media, responded, "Any public expression of Christianity is now interpreted as a threat to our ruling order." Conservative commentator Michael Knowles noted, "Today is Michaelmas, which Christians have celebrated for ~1,500 years. This specific prayer, composed by Pope Leo XIII, was recited after every Low Mass in the world for 86 years. Religious and historical ignorance among our 'elite' is reaching record highs." Seamus Coughlin of FreedomToons wrote, "Leo XIII: I will compose a prayer to scare the devil away[.] Marxist Professor: This prayer is terrifying." "This is one of the most popular prayers in the Catholic faith and in no way suggests that Trump is saying he's God's 'chosen instrument of wrath,'" tweeted conservative filmmaker Robby Starbuck. "You're totally delusional Robert." Reich admitted in March that the lead-up to the election would test the "individual and collective capacities." In the months since, he appears to have found his limits on his blog, where he blamed Trump for the two apparent Democratic assassination attempts against him. 'We will FEAR NOT.' Reich was not alone in expressing displeasure about Trump's prayer post. New Atheist author James Lindsay wrote that it's "a damn shame Trump has been pulled into this, probably on bad advice." Claiming he grew up Catholic but had virtually no experience with Michaelmas, Lindsay suggested, "The Left will use it to characterize Trump as a religious warlord type, fitting the worst of the Operation Christian Nationalism motifs. Because of the Left/Right dialectic in play in the op, we'll all be forced to take a side or dip out into irrelevance." Lindsay was similarly met with some notes indicating, again, projection might be at play. While the posting of the prayer may have factored into a broader strategy to appeal to those American Catholics now cluing into Kamala Harris' antagonism for their faith and beliefs, Trump appears to have adopted a more prayerful outlook since his brush with death on July 13. "It was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening. We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness," he wrote on July 14. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

We almost had Overwatch, Diablo, and StarCraft screen projects. That's according to Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier, who says Activision Blizzard was working with Netflix on a series of projects and implies a lawsuit between the two seemingly put a stop to the collab. Continue reading Netflix, Activision drama allegedly kills Overwatch, Diablo, and StarCraft shows MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best strategy games, Best space games, StarCraft 2 system requirements

The much-anticipated expansion to one of Bethesda's largest projects, Starfield, is finally here, and it brings with itself an advisory before you jump right in.

If successful, the merger would create a combined satellite streaming business with around 20 million US subscribers. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge DirecTV has reached an agreement to acquire Dish, alongside its parent company EchoStar’s wider satellite TV business, for a single dollar — and assume $9.75 billion of Dish’s debt. Private equity firm TPG has arranged a two-step agreement to buy the remaining 70 percent of DirecTV that it didn’t already own from AT&T for a reported $7.6 billion and merge all of that with Dish. The deal announced Monday would combine Dish’s roughly 8.1 million subscribers with the 11 million US subscribers under DirecTV, The New York Times reports. The agreement would see AT&T exit as a part-owner of DirecTV, while EchoStar separates from its TV business to pursue the wonders of Open RAN 5G once the deal is closed in 2025. The DirecTV and Dish merger is... Continue reading…

Image: AMD AMD is releasing new BIOS updates that will boost performance for its Ryzen 9600X / 9700X processors and address some latency issues. The performance improvements and latency reductions arrive around a month after disappointing Zen 5 desktop CPU reviews and appear alongside updates to Windows 11 that include optimized AMD-specific branch prediction for both Zen 4 and Zen 5 chips. CPU reviewers have been reporting a higher-than-expected core-to-core latency across the Ryzen 9000-series of desktop processors, and now AMD has addressed this with a new BIOS optimization. The latest AMD updates for AM5 motherboards include AGESA PI 1.2.0.2 firmware, which AMD says will address some “corner cases” where it takes two transactions to read and... Continue reading…

For centuries, our distant ancestors believed in a plethora of gods and goddesses, having a close relationship with the nature around them and personifying many natural occurrences. But there were some civilizations that moved past that polytheistic belief. They believed that there is only one God - a singular deity above all else. This was known as monotheism, and the Near East is one of its earliest cradles. So, what compelled those ancient cultures to step away from the polytheistic peoples that surrounded them? How did they structure their lives to be centered on a nuanced belief that there is a singular deity? Near East, The Cradle of Change The ancient Near East, often regarded as the cradle of civilization, witnessed the development of some of the most influential and enduring religious systems in human history. It was here that the earliest known examples of polytheistic worship - where societies believed in and venerated multiple gods - flourished. However, among these complex belief systems emerged a revolutionary idea: monotheism, the belief in a single, all-powerful deity. This transition from polytheism to monotheism did not happen in a vacuum. Instead, it was the product of cultural, political, and theological shifts over millennia. The rise of monotheism, particularly through the faith of the Israelites and later reinforced by Zoroastrianism and early Christianity, altered the religious landscape of the Near East and set the stage for the Abrahamic religions that dominate the world today. Read moreSection: NewsGeneralReligionsMyths & LegendsAncient PlacesHistoryAncient TraditionsPremiumPreviewRead Later 

For the first time in 3,500 years, scientists have revealed a likeness of the face of Amenhotep I, the Egyptian pharaoh who founded the Valley of the Kings. This was made possible through a combination of modern technology and historical expertise, offering an intimate glimpse into the appearance of a ruler who ushered in one of ancient Egypt’s golden ages. The Pharaoh Behind the Valley of the Kings Amenhotep I, the second ruler of Egypt's 18th Dynasty, reigned from around 1526 to 1506 BC. Known for his reign of peace and prosperity, he followed in the footsteps of his father, Ahmose I, who expelled the Hyksos invaders and reunited Egypt. Amenhotep I’s reign laid the groundwork for the New Kingdom’s rise to power, and he is credited with establishing the Valley of the Kings as the final resting place for pharaohs and nobles of this era, writes the Daily Mail. Not only was Amenhotep I revered for his military achievements, which included campaigns in Libya and northern Sudan, but he also oversaw significant religious and architectural projects, earning the devotion of his people. After his death at around 35 years of age, Amenhotep I was worshipped as a god, and his mummified body was meticulously preserved. Read moreSection: NewsHistory & ArchaeologyHistoryFamous PeopleRead Later 

The death toll from powerful storm Helene jumped above 100 on Monday, with one county in North Carolina alone reporting 30 deaths, authorities said, as rescuers battled to reach people in need across the southeastern United States.

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the 1999 movie The Sixth Sense, Haley Joel Osment had a chat with Entertainment Weekly, where he spoke about his relationship with Bruce Willis, who is now retired due to his Frontotemporal Dementia diagnosis. He recalled how Bruce would call and leave voicemails often, years after they co-starred in the thriller. They also made trips to Japan together to open the movie, and Bruce never failed to “just say hi” before these journeys. Haley Joel Osment on working with Bruce Willis THE SIXTH SENSE, Haley Joel Osment, Bruce Willis / Everett Bruce played Dr. Malcolm Crowe in The Sixth Sense, while Osment’s Cole Sear was his psychic son. Osment was excited to work with Bruce, as he had seen some of his movies before they filmed together. He also noted that Bruce was his first major celebrity co-star whose fame he was conscious of. He gushed about Bruce’s charm and delivery, noting that he was the kind of person to set a movie’s tone. It is no surprise that the former actor snagged leading parts for most of his career, which lasted for four decades. THE SIXTH SENSE, Haley Joel Osment, Bruce Willis / Everett Osment, who was 10 when he worked with Bruce, admitted that he has yet to speak with him since he was diagnosed with Frontotemporal Dementia. He says he knows Bruce’s oldest daughters, Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah, quite well. However, he has not reached out to the family yet. Bruce Willis / Instagram Bruce’s condition has tampered with his ability to communicate, thereby hampering his acting career. He is unable to read and recall his lines. He is currently in the care of his family, which includes ex-wife Demi Moore; however, his current spouse, Emma Hemming Willis, has been his primary caretaker. Next up: Dolly Parton Discovers That She Is Actually Related To This Huge Pop Star The post Haley Joel Osment Says Bruce Willis Checked In On Him For Years After ‘Sixth Sense’ appeared first on DoYouRemember? - The Home of Nostalgia. Author, Peace A